The latest studies have shown that there are almost 15 billion pounds of waste in the ocean. That counts for almost 4 trillion items that have been dumped by people and factories and that number rises by the day. This mountain of trash is getting bigger every year, and soon, we will be literary drowning in waste. If you care about the planet, all the species, your children and grandchildren, then you should do something to help the many organizations and volunteers that are doing everything to decrease the amount of trash on the earth and in the oceans. For this, you don’t have to do much, and if you don’t have time, or if you can’t, you don’t have to volunteer or financially support the cause. The easiest thing you can do is to recycle in your home.
There is a number of different ways you could be recycling without leaving your house, and in this article, we are going to give you some tips on how you can do that. Start small and you won’t even notice that you are doing anything differently. It is said that if every person recycled just one plastic bag, the material could be used to make almost 30 thousand park benches. Just imagine what would happen if all of us took care of the environment, and imagine how good the planet would look if we took care of all our trash.
Know what you can reprocess
The first thing we are going to talk about is all the materials that can be reused. Not everything you own can be recycled and not everything can be repurposed. As you already know, plastic is the hardest material to dissolve, and because of that, we need to pay the most attention to it. Know that some types of plastic are made to decompose, so if possible, look for those materials when choosing the bottles and the bags. If possible, talk to your grocery stores if they accept used bags, and give them back so someone else uses them.
Everything made of wood can be reprocessed, including paper and cardboard. You can even use them in your plants’ compost and help them grow bigger. There are so many things you can create in your home when you mix some water with the cardboard, and you can end up with beautiful decorations that you’ve made with your own hand.
Glass and aluminum containers can be reprocessed as well, but know that you should always wash or rinse them before you throw them in the designated places. If the glass breaks, it cannot be reprocessed because of the different colors of glass. You can crush the aluminum to make it smaller and to save up on space.
Reduce, reuse and recycle
As you can see here, there are three Rs for recycling and taking care of the environment. For the first part, you should learn how to reduce the waste you are making. For example, you should switch to reusable cups instead of disposable ones, and it is better to invest in a water bottle that you are going to use every day, instead of buying a new one for every use. Use your own bags instead of buying new ones every time you go shopping.
Nowadays there are a lot of things that you can create with the waste, starting from bathroom mats from corks, up to creative decorations from straws, and even gardening tools from the plastic bottles. Be creative and think of the different purposes of the items you own before you decide to throw them away.
When it comes to recycling itself, try to separate your garbage, and utilize the special bins that are available pretty much everywhere. Instead of putting the magazines and newspapers with the rest of the garbage, dispose them in the special bins. The same goes for bottles, cups, straws, bags, and anything else that can be separated and thrown away.
Water can be repurposed too
When we talk about reusing items, we think that we need to take care of the plastic trash only. The reality is, there are so many different things that are going to make a difference to the planet and to our bills as well.
Water is something we don’t think we can repurpose and we act like it does not matter how much water we waste every single day. The first thing you should do is check your plumbing, and know that if you have a leaky faucet or toilet, you are wasting hundreds of gallons per month. The next thing you can do is reuse the water you are already using.
For example, when you cook pasta, or when you boil potatoes, there is always water left and we tend to just throw it in the drain. Well, instead of doing that, you can wait for it to completely cool and you can water your plants with it. This way, you will be using it for two things, you will be saving on your bills, and you will be helping the planet. If it is an option, you can talk to your plumbers about utilizing greywater. That is the water that is not made for drinking or cooking, but instead, it is only used in the showers, washing machines, and toilets. So, instead of using filtered water to water your garden, you can use greywater. Think of other ways to repurpose it, and share them with your friends to help the environment.
These are some of the things you can do to manage the waste and help the planet heal. You can find a new purpose for everything that you no longer need, and by doing that, you will be one of the people who start with themselves when they want to make a change. If you have a deflated or an old tire, you don’t have to throw it away. You can make a swing for your children in the backyard, or you can reuse it in the garden. Be creative, use biodegradable paint and glitter, and create new things that everyone is going to admire. Start now, so you don’t have to look back and think about what could’ve happened.